Scenic effect



April 28, 1925. 1,535,782

F. o. KING SCENIC EFFECT Filed Maly- 10, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet l April 28, 1925.

F. O. KING SCENIC EFFECT Filed May lO, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 @a veialr @ZQW y /ff/ff Patented Apr. 28, 1925.

UNITED STATES 1,535,782 PATENT GFFICE.

FRANK 0. KING, OF GLENCOE, ILLINOIS.

SCENIC Application led Hay 10,

The present improvements relate to theI art of producing scenic effects, having reference particuarly to a method and means for producing the illusion of the presence of a body of water as part of the picture.

Those improvements have application in connection with display advertising :is in store windows, in forming pictures for entertainment and instruction, for decorative purposes, in topographical landscape illustrations, as an adjunct to water-landscape paintings and drawings, etc., and also for stage purposes.

In the accompanying drawings,- which form a part of this specification, Figure l is a front vieiv of a scenic device embodying these improvements; Fig. 2 is a top View thereof; Figs. 3 and 4 are enlarged details of structures of Fig. l; Fig. is another object which might be used in such devices; Fig. 6 is a front view of another scenic device structure; Fig. 7 is a top view of Fig. 6; and Figs. 8 to 12 inclusive are details of the structure of Fig. 7.

Referring to Figs. l and 2, the structure may be considered as being formed of cardboard painted. The front sheet ljhas a sight opening 16 in the nature of a procenium arch. The curved rear sheet or background 17 is indicated as being painted to represent land and sky, and also with reflections of the land and a cloud shown. This background represents a water landscape and may be considered to be in accordance with what is well known in illustrative practice.

The distinctive feature of Figs. 'l and 2 is that there are shown certain objects which are positioned forward of the background and which stand out in relief. They are cut out, formed or shaped in accordance with actual objects and are suitably colored er marked to represent more artisticallyr the objects respectively. Each of these objects comprises an upper part which appears to rise or emerge from the surface of the indicated water and a lower part having corresponding or similar portions vertically be- EFFECT.

192s. sum1 No. 638,131.

low the upper part in inverted relation thereto and representing the reflection of the u per part in such indicated water. These o jects as the piles 18 and 19 and the boat 20 may also be considered as being formed of cardboard. Between the upper and lower parts respectively there is a water line which, tfgether with the inverted position of the .re ection part creates the illusion of the object resting upon or rising from the surface of the water, and since these objects are forward of the background, or in relief, the picture has the property of perspective, and these objects stand out (pute distinctively from the background. buch pictures are naturally viewed from different angles by the same' person every few seconds, as by shifting the body for different views or when walking in front of the picture, and this forward position of the formed objects at once catches lthe eye and there is prcduced very strikingly the illusion of the presence of a body of water.

As shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4 these cutout or otherwise formed objects have means for supporting'them in such forward or relief position, which means are shown as portions of the cardboard structure turned over to form a base. The objects may therefore be variously positioned according to the artistic sense of the user, and with a single background a large variety of distinctively different pictures, each of an unusual and striking character, may be formed. The number' of objects available for such representation is almost limitless.

Referring to Fig. 6 etc., the device is shown as comprising a front Si() having a sight opening 31 as before described, a rear sheet or surface 32 and sides 33, forming a rectangular housing, the background 32 being painted or marked to represent a water landscape, which representation may also extend to the sides 33. Certain objects are again shown in relief with respect to the background and are supported in some instances by combining various of them into a single structure. The dock 34 is shown as being secured by spacing and bracing members 28 to the background 32 and the boat 35 is supported by similar braces 29 to the dock or Wharf element 34, in all instances these supporting members being concealed from view from the front, and in such manner that the elements thus standing out in relief appear to be entirely free, both above and below, and the picture is therefore subject to more minute examination Without impair-ing the illusion. The objects 34 and 35 have, similarly, upper and lower parts respectively, the lower parts being inverted and of corresponding or similar shape to the upper parts and representing the reflection of the upper parts respectively. The pile 3G rests upon the bottom of the device as a whole upon a widened base as well shown in Figs. 7 and ll. Y

Figs. 6 and 12 show foliage 37 in the foreground, and in this instance the counter-part 38 is a separate member, in inverted position. IFigs. 7 and 12 show these two parts as being secured to a side 33. The water line between the upper and lower parts in this instance .is left to the imagination of the viewer, as in nature in such a case. The object 40 represents a plank floating on the surface of the Water and is secured to the front 30.

Instead of iiat objects thus positioned in relief the objects may be actually or more nearlyfformed as to the upper and lower parts respectively in accordance with the thing represented. For instance the boat 35 may be formed actually to represent such a boat, as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 2, and Fig. 10 may be considered a perspective of an actually-shaped boat and an actually-shaped counterpart representing its refiection, as well as the fiat cardboard element of Fig. 6. Fig. 5 may be considered to consist of two toy ducks secured together as shown with a wire leading to a base for its support. When formed so as to have the actual contour of such objects the objects may be turned into various positions as viewed from the front, and not only is the illusion more perfect but the capacity of such a device for modification of the icture with a given number of such relie? objects is increased. Such actually-shaped objects are more suitable in instances in which the per son viewing the picture or scenic device may have points of view from widely different directions. For instance, an imitation lake might be formed in connection with av topographical landscape on a table or on the Memes floor, as beneath a Christmas tree, in which case the object and its reiection would appear se as to give the illusion of the presence of a body of Water from all of the various directions in which the vdevice might be viewed.

l claim:

1. n the art of creating scenic eiects, the provision of a scenic representation appropriate to the presence of a body of water, and in association therewith a shaped object standing out in relief and below said shaped object and substantially vertical therewith a similarly shaped object in inverted position with respect to the upper object and also standing out in relief, the lower object representing a reflection Yof the upper object, as in Water.

2. A scenic device comprising a background appropriate to the presenceof a body of water and an object su ported forward of said background in re ief, said object comprising an upper part and a lower part substantially corresponding to the upper part, but in inverted position with respect thereto, said lower part constituting an apparent reflection of the upper part, as in water.

3. The art of producing scenic effects which comprises the provision of a baci.- ground indicating the presence of a body of Water, and a shaped object bodily supported in front of said background, said ob- ]ect having an upper part apparently projecting above the surface of such indicated water and having a lower part in reverse position and constituting a representation of the reflection of said upper part in the indicated water.

4. Means for producing scenic eiccts consisting of a shaped object having an upper part and a lower part, with means for supporting said object bodily in relief in a given position, the upper part being shaped to indicate an object apparently rising from a body of water, the lower`-part being shaped to indicate the reflection of the upper part in such body of water.

FRANK O. KING. 

